MELINOE

Caged

Chapter – 23                                                                                                                                                                         

Without communicating with me, suddenly Father broke the silence saying, "I know what I have to do. Nothing will happen to you my child, I am there with you." Father hugged Jenny and continued, "First we have to find out that box of drugs and prove Rayan as the accused. We don't have time. Hurry up! Find out that box first." "What?? What are you all talking about!?" I shouted. Without even looking at me, Jenny rushed out of my room and as my eyes followed her out, I got to see myself lying on the floor next to the door with a bloodshot in the forehead, eyes fixed at the ceiling and blood flowing from the forehead down the face and the floor. It blew away my mind and that is when I realized that my soul had got imprisoned in this mirror and cannot get out of here. In the time I took to comprehend this unwelcome reality, Jenny found out her box of drugs and along with Father, stuffed the pack in the backpack I used to take for college and left it on my bed. Father Andrew took the gun and placed it into the clench of the right hand of my body that lay dead. I wanted to break the mirror and come out but I couldn't. Both of them left. I stayed there as tears rolled down my eyes looking at my body, dead on the floor. Dad came back, found my body with the gun and sat down with a thud beside, with no words. Within few hours, more people, a car of other cops came and took dad out and started looking for everything in the room. They took the gun, my bag, the box of drugs. And finally, Father Andrew and Jenny became successful in proving that it was Jenny who found out that I used to take drugs and informed Father. And when Father called me up for his piece of advice, I shot myself. Due to his spiritual popularity in the town and all the good deeds, nobody denied to believe him. The case closed down without any investigation, confirming it as a suicide case and Dad got suspended for giving me gun without special permission.

Everything happened within a week. Dad wandered alone in the entire house lifelessly, engrossed in uncountable mournings. He stopped eating, bathing, changing his clothes. He stayed awake for days and nights, wordless and shattered. Only thing that kept him alive was depression. Within a month, he couldn't survive the misery anymore and hanged himself. I remained stuck here watching our family get crucified and counting the number of sins Father Andrew and Jenny accounted for. I waited. I waited for my time, for my revenge.